Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [physical-fitness]

Use this tag for questions explicitly about health approaches that revolve around exercise and diet as a means to attain health.

53 questions
36
votes
1 answer

Does sexual activity burn a significant amount of calories?

Are there any reviews out there of scientific studies conforming or invalidating the common claim that sexual activity is a good way to burn calories? Have quantitative measurements of work exerted (i.e., energy spent) during sex ever been…
F'x
  • 469
  • 5
  • 11
34
votes
3 answers

Does ascending one step burn 0.1 kcal of energy?

The Tsukuba Express Akihabara station has 0.1 kcal markings painted on the steps up from the platform. Is this accurate? Obviously it's going to depend on the person but broadly speaking do you burn approximately 0.1 kcal per step? The top step is…
dont_shog_me_bro
  • 3,131
  • 2
  • 20
  • 31
29
votes
1 answer

Does heavy exercising increase beard growth?

The claim that exercise promotes beard growth is common around the Internet. The explanation that is the most common is that heavy exercising increases the testosterone levels in the body and that in turn increases beard growth. Does exercise indeed…
Hugo
  • 491
  • 3
  • 10
27
votes
1 answer

Does exercising in hot weather burn more calories?

I've read claims stating that exercising in hot weather burns more calories than the same exercise in cold weather would. I've also read claims stating the opposite. Which is correct? How does caloric consumption vary with ambient temperature,…
TheTechGuy
  • 2,772
  • 6
  • 26
  • 37
27
votes
1 answer

Does exercise make you healthier?

It is widely believed that regular exercise helps people become fitter, stronger and healthier. For example, from Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans: Regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health.…
John
  • 279
  • 3
  • 4
24
votes
1 answer

Can the body never lose fat cells?

There are various articles online quoting studies (or even loosely referring to "studies" without reference) claiming you can only gain fat cells but not loose them. Some examples include Calorielab.com: Fat Cells Shrink, But Don’t Die As well as…
Jeroen
  • 663
  • 6
  • 14
23
votes
2 answers

Do fitness trackers make you fatter?

The idea of using a fitness tracker is that you should pay more attention to the amount of exercise you get and, therefore, be more likely to get enough. This should support weight loss in people who are carrying too much weight. A recent study…
matt_black
  • 56,186
  • 16
  • 175
  • 373
20
votes
1 answer

Cardio vs. weight lifting for weight loss

There are a lot of people who either claim that cardio or weight lifting is the key to losing weight. For example an article questioning the need for cardio or an article claiming that cardio is the key to weight loss. The cardio folks usually point…
Andreas Arnold
  • 493
  • 3
  • 8
20
votes
1 answer

Do saunas burn significantly more calories than just sitting idly?

There are a bunch of sites claiming this, with the most disparate theories: that saunas directly melt fat, that saunas burn calories because your body needs to maintain the normal temperature, that saunas increase your metabolism, that they make…
Sklivvz
  • 78,578
  • 29
  • 321
  • 428
19
votes
1 answer

Does working at a standing desk consume more calories than sitting?

src I've heard conflicting claims: Site that claims it maks a crap load of difference Site that claims it doesn't make a shred of difference What does science say? You may find this question about the general health effects also interesting
Sklivvz
  • 78,578
  • 29
  • 321
  • 428
19
votes
2 answers

Is electric muscle stimulation (EMS) training safe and effective?

Electric muscle stimulation (EMS) is touted as having the ability to strengthen muscles, reduce weight, minimize body fat and improve local blood circulation. During physical activity, your brain (inside source) sends a message to nerves to…
Christian
  • 33,271
  • 15
  • 112
  • 266
16
votes
2 answers

Does regular exercise improve how you feel?

It's a common claim that regular exercise makes you feel better. Walking Of The Weight Not only does exercise make your body work better, it makes you feel better too. More examples (out of hundreds): Fitwatch Trying Fitness This sounds like a…
Oddthinking
  • 140,378
  • 46
  • 548
  • 638
14
votes
3 answers

Does exercise make you smarter?

Does exercising your muscles also increase your intelligence like the daily mail (and many others) report: Exercise makes you smarter 'by boosting energy levels in the brain ... Now a team from the University of South Carolina have found that…
Kit Sunde
  • 18,636
  • 12
  • 93
  • 127
14
votes
0 answers

Is it hazardous to bend one's head backwards to stretch the neck?

I've heard claims that it's bad to stretch the neck by tilting it all the way back, or by doing neck circles. Here is one such article Research is showing a connection between extreme neck positions-the head bent way back for the beauty salon…
Celeritas
  • 2,564
  • 2
  • 18
  • 28
13
votes
1 answer

Is high intensity interval training an efficient way to improve your cardio?

HIIT has been very hot the last couple of years. A short exercise seems to have the same impact as longer same-speed exercise. Most research, Skeptics questions on the subject and news articles focus on fat burning but I'm interested in cardio.…
Kristoffer Nolgren
  • 1,100
  • 8
  • 20
1
2 3 4